1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an open architecture of future radio system supporting multi-bands, multi-standards wireless and mobile communications and enabling extensibility and upgradeability of the system modules including, but not limited to, radio frequency transceiver including front-end, signal converter and base-band processing core, wherein the open system platforms are based on the open wireless architecture (OWA) technology. The OWA radio frequency transceiver utilizes non-broadband hardware to support wide range frequency bands and broad transmission bandwidth which is different from the conventional software defined radio approach.
2. Description of the Related Art
With the proliferation of wireless standards in television, radio and mobile communications, compatibility issues have emerged in wireless networks and systems. Inconsistency between wireless standards is causing problems to subscribers, wireless network operators and equipment vendors. Subscribers are forced to change their handsets whenever the latest breed of standards is introduced. Network operators face the dilemma during the upgrade of a network from one generation to another due to the presence of a large number of subscribers using legacy handsets incompatible with newer generations of standards. Equipment vendors face difficulty in airing new technology because of short time-to-market requirements. Inconsistency between wireless standards is inhibiting deployment of global roaming facilities and causing problems in introducing new features and services. Users are expecting more from their mobile terminals in terms of quality of service and multimedia applications. Traditional wireless systems, with their capabilities hard-coded in them, are no longer able to keep step with this brisk growth rate.
Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) technology is the solution to the issues mentioned here. The term OWA refers to the open broadband platform, both in radio frequency (RF), base-band, network and application, that can support diverse communication standards and can integrate multiple wireless networks and systems into one common platform. To achieve this flexibility and extensibility, OWA focuses on all aspects of a communication system such as RF section, baseband processing and application domains. The flexibility and adaptability required for the converged wireless platform can be achieved by implementing the radio functionality as software modules running on a generic platform or by using extensible hardware modules.
Continuous evolution is foreseen in future mobile terminals, with use of new components, architectures, hardware, software platforms and improved user interfaces together providing increased performance. The key technologies that will enable the future advanced mobile terminals as described in the present invention include:    a) Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) supporting multiple standards efficiently    b) Mobile Cloud technology to simplify the mobile terminal architecture    c) Migrating the service from the carrier-centric to the user-centric platform    d) Smart antennas and new space/time coding and decoding techniques    e) High efficiency power amplifiers and filters    f) Improved RF (radio frequency) modules, allowing higher operating frequencies and improved receiver sensitivity    g) Advances in signal processing, increased processing efficiency    h) Improved battery technology with increased energy density    i) High-performance and low-power signal processing and processor platform based on OWA    j) Integration and convergence with wired terminal
A unified global standard of mobile communications becomes extremely difficult and almost impossible. An Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) based converged wireless platform will thus become reasonable and feasible in both business and technology, and therefore ITU (international telecommunication union) IMT-Advanced standardization has been targeting this direction in long run.
Open Wireless Architecture (OWA) technology is one optimal solution for the Fourth Generation wireless and mobile communications (4G) and beyond on the worldwide basis. OWA refers to the open broadband wireless platform that can support diverse wireless and mobile standards, and can converge multiple wireless networks. To achieve this flexibility, OWA focuses on all aspects of a communication system including RF (radio frequency), baseband processing, networking and application segments. The flexibility and adaptability required for the converged open wireless platform can be achieved by defining the open interface parameters for the OWA systems and networks.
OWA helps in realizing global roaming facilities and seamless networking capabilities amongst different radio transmission technologies. It allows the network operators and subscribers to use third party solutions or user-defined solutions on their systems and to customize their systems according to their business models. Using OWA we can build systems which support multiple standards, multiple bands, multiple modes and offer diverse services to the customers.
OWA is different from SDR (software defined radio) as OWA basically maps various wireless standards into open interface parameters and maintain the system platform including RF, baseband, networks and applications an open architecture. Hence, in OWA systems, different modules (both hardware and software) can be from different vendors. It is similar to the open computer architecture in personal computer system and open network architecture in packet router system.
However, SDR is primarily a broadband radio in which the preset operating parameters including inter alia frequency range, modulation type, and/or output power limitations can be reset or altered by software in order to support different radio frequency bands and/or standards. Though SDR has been improved a lot to support re-configurability and flexibility, it is a closed architecture in coupling different radios into one broadband transceiver hardware. In other words, SDR consumes much more power and spectrum in exchange of the system flexibility. From the business point of view, SDR is not a cost-effective solution in wireless communications.
Furthermore, SDR uses broadband transceiver hardware to support multiple wireless standards which is very expensive in the commercial environment. However, OWA converges multiple air interfaces in an open system platform to maximize the transmission bandwidth and system performance, but each wireless transmission still uses the narrowband transceiver, therefore maintaining the system in a cost-effective way which is very important for the commercial business. Furthermore, OWA supports multiple wireless air interfaces in same open wireless system platform without relying on broadband transceiver hardware which is an innovative approach for the future mobile wireless device.
By using OWA technology, we can converge multiple wireless standards in one open system to support both broadband high-speed radio transmission and seamless fast mobility capability in a mobile fast-fading propagation model environment while maintaining the very high mobile network capacity for the commercial mobile business.
In addition, OWA allows allocating multiple air interfaces into an external card so that the users can simply change wireless standards by updating such air interface card without having to change the mobile terminal device or terminal system.
Cognitive Radio is also different from OWA because the cognitive radio is a radio which has the capability of sensing and adapting to the environment and spectrum automatically and intelligently. However, cognitive radio is not an open system from the architecture point of view, and does not meet the requirements of the open system definition.
With this OWA architecture, the key system units including RF transceiver, CPU (central processing unit) platform and base-band processing core are fully open and extensible, especially the open RF transceiver can be operable in either statically allocated spectrum bands, or in dynamically optimized spectrum bands based on spectrum sharing and spectrum recycling techniques which maximize the spectrum utilization.
With this OWA architecture, many system modules including, but not limited to, the RF front-end module, Digital controlled oscillator module, IF (intermediate frequency) processing module, Build-In Self-Test module, Signal Converter module and Base-band processing module can be replaced, extended and upgraded by the users, and developed by the third-party vendors.